This is one of my favorite fun authors, so I was excited to get this ARC from NetGalley. However, this wasn't one of my favorite novels from her. I felt like the book spent far too much time on the relationship between Roisin and Joe, and Roisin's investigative work to figure out if Joe was lying to her, and not enough time on the relationship that was developing between Roisin and Matt. That was definitely the most satisfying part of the novel and I felt short-changed.

This is one that I could see being adapted for a tv series. As a novel, this one held my interest but felt overwhelmed with the amount of characters at times. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mhairi is a must-read author for me, so I was excited to get an advanced e-book of her next release! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I give this book a solid 4 stars. I liked it quite a bit, but didn't love it like I have loved some of her other books. As usual, I think Mhairi wrote a difficult situation very well - Roisin is in a relationship where she eventually realizes she is being gaslit... and more. I think the story captured Roisin's feelings about this well. I liked her friend group a lot as well.

I think my main hold-backs that kept this from love for me were:
1. I felt the book was slow to get started. It is not uncommon for Mhairi to take her time to get a story going, but this one felt really dragged out for me.
2. I think the start-up of the feelings and then relationship with Matt was suuuuper quick. It just felt way too fast for me, especially when Roison had no feelings for him beyond friend before, and she was still healing from being gaslit and cheated on. I just would've liked to see more build-up to their relationship, to give us a chance to get to know Matt before pairing them together.

All in all, I do recommend this one! Not sure if I will ever read it again - I'll probably turn to some of her other books for a re-read instead!

The premise of the book seemed interesting to me, but it was a bit of a slog getting to the main plot of the book. I just didn’t care much for the build-up and too many characters to try and distinguish.

I think the best way to go into this book is to understand that the romance is probably a secondary storyline. Roisin has a group of six friends who met while working at the same bookshop. This group is very close and includes Joe, her decade-long boyfriend. Joe has recently discovered big success as a screenwriter and Roisin is starting to witness a new side to Joe that worries her. This book explores friend dynamics over the years and how that is affected by growing and changing relationships. Joe and Roisin’s relationship is both riveting and stressful as Joe is a master at manipulation and gaslighting, but I think that it is very well done on the pages. There is a romance that is kind of rushed and not absolutely necessary so going into this book hoping solely for that aspect might leave one disappointed. This is the second book that I have read by this author and I enjoy her dimensional characters and plots.

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have really come to enjoy books by this author – in part, because of how she writes groups of friends and their interactions. This book is no different! I also am a sucker for the UK settings. :) Between us was a solid 4, maybe a 4.5, for me. The main character, Roisin (pronounced Ro-sheen, I think, based on one character singing Jolene to her?) has a douchy boyfriend and some serious baggage with her mom. After her boyfriend writes a successful tv show, she notices some creepy similarities with their real life and embarks on a journey to discover the truth.

The book drew me in and kept my attention from the beginning. As i said, I really enjoyed it - particularly the female friendships. My only complaints are that I felt the romance moved too quickly - could’ve had more time spent on the backstory - and I would’ve liked to see the douchy bf get more comeuppance. But still, a fun read.

3.5 STARS

“Can success really change a person, though?
she wondered. Maybe it only brings elements that were always there to the fore?”

Between Us was my first Mhairi McFarlane book. And let me tell you, this book will give you all the feels! Drama, emotional roller coaster, and plenty of laugh out loud moments.

The book opens with Rosin’s group of friends, “The Brian Club, going away for the weekend to celebrate an engagement, a birthday, and Rosin’s boyfriend, Joe’s, TV premiere. But, when the TV premiere turns out to be eerily similar to Rosin’s own life, is this the beginning of the end of Rosin and Joe?

Now while I loved the witty banter, it did take me awhile to get into this book. I kept putting it down, and picking it up; however, once the story picked up, I was hooked (so maybe this was a me problem).

I really enjoyed Rosin’s story outside “The Brian Club”. Her interactions with her eccentric mum and the ever doting Matt at the Mallory, her family’s business, were by far my favorite! (Hang in there for the second half!)

Does Rosin find a happily ever after? Pick up Between Us to find out.

I enjoyed this buddy read with @kansasreadsalot.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

All opinions are my own.

I found the first part of this book rather difficult to follow. I couldn’t focus on the characters as so many of them flitted across the pages.
Finally a rhythm emerged halfway and it was easier to follow.
I thought Roisin didn’t give herself enough time to downshift before jumping into something new.
Joe is such a dirtbag.
It’s a decent read.

Pros: I’ve been eager to read a book by Mhairi McFarlane after hearing friends and book podcasters rave about her books. I can see why she is so popular with people whose tastes I trust! I enjoyed her writing style and plan to read more of her books.

Cons: It felt like the action in this book did not start until 30% in. Although I liked getting to know all the friends in the friend group during that first 30%, it seemed like too much set up once the book got going.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this book.

WOW. I was not expecting this book to hit me as hard as it did, but sitting here after finishing it, I need to reevaluate my expectations. I think the romance storyline was a little jarring, but between the premise of the book and the fabulous characterizations, I found myself really enjoying it. This book takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions and leaves you feeling a little out of breath — but in a good way. I don’t know that I loved this as much as the other books I’ve read by McFarlane, but it was time well spent and on re-read, I think I’ll enjoy it even more. This book starts pretty slow, but really does pick up quite a bit and suddenly, you’re hurtling towards the ending and you aren’t quite sure how you’ve reached it. I love when a book does that, and this was no exception. This definitely encouraged me to check out some more of McFarlane’s catalog.

At the end, I liked this book. There were a few misspelled words not surprising in an ARC. I recommend reading this book in 1 day otherwise it’s hard to care about the characters starting off. The ending was great and satisfying but it took me too long to care about the characters. Also, it’s all boyfriend and husband - are they married? Maybe it’s a cultural thing that I can’t navigate my reading around but when the main characters have an unknowable relationship, it’s weird. Glad I received this one but understand that some people will loooove it and others will DNF in the first 1-2 hours.

McFarlane's brilliance returns in this latest jewel of her collection, Between Us. Mhairi McFarlane's writing style will always stand out from the crowd but with this novel, the inspiring arc of self-growth reminiscent of women's fiction themes completely captured my heart. In a strikingly relatable nature, McFarlane has written a story of Roisin and each of her complicated relationships- from her toxic ex, to fractured friendships, and dysfunctional family- has her surprisingly relying on the last person she expected to understand her. Nate, the reformed playboy of their former friend group, suddenly starts showing up and keeps supporting her throughout this tumultuous period of her life. As the moments between them parallel the vulnerable moments between Rosie and her ex, she slowly realizes why Nate is different than Joe, what makes this dynamic so special, and sees how far she's come since that naive girl before. With her impeccable writing and this beautiful story of self-growth and light romance, prepare your hearts for the magic that is Mhairi McFarlane's latest novel, Between Us!

I felt that the pacing was a bit off and the couple felt a little awkward, but overall Mhairi is so talented and her writing is always next level!

She has a great writing style that I definitely enjoyed. The book was well written and worth the read.

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book. That being said, I have never been so invested in a couples breakup as I was with Roisin and Joe's. As a reader, there was no way I could let Roisin go on her healing journey alone. Every page had me right there with her trying to piece the bits of truth together.

I was super excited to get my hands on McFarlane's newest book. I will kill for Roisin. I felt for this character and the journey she went on within the pages.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Oh what a story and what a mess! There's Joe, who had seemed like the perfect guy, and there's Matt, who had seemed quite far from perfect, and there's Roisin, trying to figure out who is telling the truth and who is a smooth liar. A fun, witty book with a good dose of introspection and soul-searching.

Joe and Rosin are a couple who goes on a friends vacation ,where things comes up that give Rosin a lot to think about their relationship.and what it all means .
Good characters.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Mhairi McFarlane has become one of my favorite authors since I read her book last year. I loved this one just as much! McFarlane has a sense of humor that I appreciate a lot. This book also explores a lot of concepts that a lot of people deal with like toxic relationships, gradual loss of friendships, and loss of self.

Raisin and Joe have been together for 10 years. Their relationship is slowly deteriorating and Roisin wants to end it but doesn’t know how. Their friend group gets together to celebrate a lot of things one of them including Joe’s new tv show. I don’t know if McFarlane is trolling Sam Levinson but the way the show was described was hilariously accurate to Euphoria and The Idol. While watching the show, Raisin sees portrayed on screen something Raisin told Joe about regarding her past. Raisin started wondering how much of the show is the truth.

A lot of other drama goes on in the midst but this is the central part of the story that wraps the readers. I really enjoyed watching Roisin take full control of her life and decisions. Joe, on the other hand, really annoyed me. Gosh I know at least 3 guys like him and I was having flashbacks while reading some of the lies he was spewing.

I found a lot of similarities between this book and Just Last Night. I’m so excited to read more of her books because her books are so comforting to read. The only reason this isn’t a 5⭐️ read is because I’ve been in a reading slump and it was hard for me to read this in a flow. Hopefully this slump goes away!

This book was mediocre. I thought the premise sounded intriguing but the story fell flat, as well as the characters. I needed more substance from the story and book and didn’t get it.